Understanding is the key to adapting.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is initiating the Canada1Water (C1W) project: a continental-scale groundwater–surface-water modeling platform integrated with climate and land use change information to provide decision support for risk-based assessments. State of the art models will be constructed, with simulated climate change scenarios for all six of Canada’s major drainage regions, encompassing nearly twelve million square kilometers.
For the first time, Canada will have a comprehensive physically-based platform to model the integrated climate–groundwater–surface-water system. This platform will include decision support tools to inform on droughts, floods, carbon sequestration, wildfire risk, permafrost changes, ecosystem services, and surface/groundwater quantity.
The project will address the longstanding challenge, identified by the Canadian Council of Academies, of understanding the sustainability of Canadian water resources. The decision support framework within the platform will provide an integrated means to assess commodity (i.e., forestry, agriculture, mining) responses and risk associated with projected climate and land use induced changes. C1W will help address surface-water and groundwater resource issues associated with indigenous concerns, such as cumulative effects, impacts of permafrost loss, and flooding.
C1W is a collaborative partnership between Natural Resources Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Aquanty Inc. Principal funding for the project is through the Canadian Safety and Security Program, led by Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)’s Centre for Security Science in partnership with Public Safety Canada.
Monitor this website and the Groundwater Information Network news feed for updates on project progress.